The two new Papamoa schools are officially open today with an official party visiting Golden Sands School and Papamoa College to conduct the ceremony.

In the official party are Bay of Plenty MP Tony Ryall, Minister of Education Anne Tolley and Mayor Stuart Crosby.

Golden Sands School was officially opened this morning.

The first ceremony, involving powhiri, songs and a round of speeches was conducted at Golden Sands at 10am and the second is at Papamoa College at 12pm.

At Golden Sands the students sang the national anthem and their school song at the ceremony.

Bay of Plenty MP Tony Ryall is among the dignitaries opening the two Papamoa schools. He is pictured here meeting the school's board of trustees chairman, Vince Butler.

Principal Melanie Taylor says the ceremony went well and she is happy with how the school's first term went.

'It's great to be finally officially opened,” says Melanie.

'The kids, they are an amazing group of people,” she says of the school's students.

Being the first students in a new school brings unusual challenges and opportunities for the school's community, but these instances provide advantages for the students.

'Because we only have Year 1-4 students, they take on roles of ambassadors,” says Melanie.

As a new school there is much public interest and so the students conduct tours of the school and learn leadership skills in doing so.

Melanie says this is beneficial as from a young age these children learn how to present themselves.

In a bigger scale to the Golden Sands opening, the Papamoa College one is involving about 700 people, says its headmaster Steve Lindsey.

'We will pretty much do the same sort of opening that everyone else will do,” says Steve.

There will be a video presentation and the kaka haka group will perform.

The college's current roll in about 450, expected to be about 600 next year.

'It's a great day of celebration really, celebrating what we have achieved so far, despite the fact that we have been open for a term already in terms of instruction,” says Steve.

'It's a formal occasion to acknowledge the end of the establishment phase and the beginning of the operational phase.”